US Airways To Equip Airbus Fleet With Gogo ATG-4 By May

US Airways by May will equip its entire Airbus fleet with Gogo ATG-4 wireless service.

Installation of Gogo’s air-to-ground wireless system is underway on the 246 A319s, A320s, and A321s in US Airways’ mainline fleet, an airline spokesman tells Aviation Week. As of December, US Airways had retrofitted 203 of the aircraft.

The Tempe, Ariz.-based carrier already has wireless capabilities on 80% of its domestic fleet, a number that includes both the new ATG-4 and a previous generation of Gogo service. US Airways introduced Gogo service in 2010.

Additional upgrades are in store for the Airbus. US Airways is equipping the aircraft with Gogo Vision, which streams movies and television programs. “While we are installing it at the same time as Wi-Fi on the Airbus aircraft, it has not been turned on as it is still undergoing testing,” the spokesman says. US Airways expects to offer Gogo Vision by the end of the first quarter.

US Airways also plans to finish installing the first generation of Gogo Wi-Fi system on its 17 mainline E-190s by March, the spokesman says, and another three E-190s scheduled for delivery in early 2013 will be equipped with the system. In December, the carrier completed installation of the service aboard the 20 E-170s and 38 E-175s operated by Republic Airlines under the Express brand. Neither Gogo Vision nor ATG-4 will be able on the Embraer fleet.

American Airlines, which is in merger talks with US Airways, offers Gogo service on all its Boeing 767-200 and 737 aircraft, and on most Boeing 757s and MD-80s, according to the carrier’s website.

In July, American also intends to start offering ATG-4 on new aircraft deliveries, beginning with its Airbus A319s, a spokesman tells Aviation Week. “All remaining domestic aircraft deliveries after that point will come equipped with the ATG-4 technology in addition to Gogo’s KU-band satellite technology, which will enhance the user experience over water and congested areas,” the spokesman adds.